Roll product shipping, storage, and display carton

ABSTRACT

A carton for shipping, storing, and displaying rolls of material is disclosed. The carton comprises a front wall including a removable panel, with a reinforced panel provided above the removable panel and a lower panel extending across the front wall provided below the removable panel. During shipping, the removable panel strengthen the walls of the carton. At the destination, the removable panel is easily removed to allow access to the rolls in the carton. The reinforced panel allows the rolls to rest against the carton without tipping.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application60/353,424, filed Jan. 31, 2002, and is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/353,502 filed Jan. 29, 2003.

STATEMENT CONCERNING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to packaging, and in particular, to a corrugatedcardboard box for shipping, storing, and dispensing roll products suchas gift wrap rolls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Products are often shipped to retail stores in packages which, onreceipt at the store, require that the package be opened and unloaded,and that the internal products inside be moved into a display. Theseactivities require a significant degree of time and labor, and aretherefore expensive for the store owners, driving the price of goods up.

To decrease the amount of time and labor in setting up displays instores, various shipping cartons have been developed. One example is a“chip box”. The “chip box” is a shipping carton in which a perforatedpanel has been provided. Small packaged items, such as potato chips,bags of peanuts, and other small, lightweight bagged items are providedin the box and, at the retail store, the panel is removed allowingaccess to the products inside.

Rolls of gift wrap, however, are bulky, awkward and heavy and thereforecannot be provided in a chip box. These products, furthermore, aredifficult to store in quantity in a retail store. One solution to thisproblem has been to place the rolls on end into a box having an openingin the front wall with a rod across the lower end of the opening andanother rod across the upper end of the opening. The upper and lowerrods restrain the rolls from falling out of the box and keep the lowerends of the rolls inside the box. Rolls are then dispensed from the boxby lifting up the lower end of each roll over the lower bar anddispensing the roll out through the opening in the front of the box,between the two bars. The rolls, therefore, can be stored on a shelf, 4or 5 feet above the floor, to preserve floor space.

These prior art boxes, while successful in providing access to therolls, were relatively heavy and difficult to transport. Furthermore,these boxes required both set-up and subsequent filling of rolls, whichwere shipped apart from the box, at the retail establishment. Theseboxes, therefore, require both time and labor at the retailestablishment. It is desirable in high-volume retail establishments,however, to minimize time and labor requirements to set-up salesdisplays, in order to limit costs.

Therefore, the present invention provides a gift wrap box which can beshipped already filled with rolls of gift wrap so that after a fewsimple unpackaging steps, the shipping box can also be used as thedisplay and dispensing box.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a carton specially adapted for use in shippingand displaying a plurality of roll products. The carton comprises acontainer having an enclosed bottom end and an open top end. An opening,sized and dimensioned to be greater in length than one half of thelength of the roll products, is provided in a side of the container. Areinforced bridging panel extends horizontally above the opening and alower panel extends horizontally below the opening. The upperreinforcement panel, the lower panel, and the adjacent sides of theenclosure frame the opening, such that the rolls of products can be bothseen and removed through the opening.

The reinforced bridging panel can be provided as a double layer ofcorrugated cardboard material, provided by folding a rear panel portionbehind a front panel portion in the container. To further reinforce thebridging panel, a stiff elongated reinforcement which can be, forexample, a wire or rod, can be adhered or otherwise attached to thereinforcement panel. These reinforcement devices help to contain therolls in the carton.

In another aspect, the invention comprises a removable panel provided ina side of the container such that the reinforced panel extendshorizontally across the container between the open end of the containerand the removable panel. A shipping box having an enclosed top and anopen bottom, which is sized and dimensioned to extend over and enclosethe open top end of the container, is provided over the container duringshipping. Both the shipping box and the removable panel are removed toallow for display and removal of product at a sales location.

The removable panel can provide reinforcement during shipping, and atleast partially covers the opening through which the rolls aredispensed. The reinforcement panel can be constructed as a double layerof material, formed by cutting a portion of the container from theremovable panel and folding the portion over behind a front panel.Construction of the reinforcement panel in this way provides a spacebetween the top of the removable panel and the bottom of thereinforcement panel, simplifying removal of the panel by a user byallowing ready access to the panel. The edges of the removable panel canbe scored or perforated to further simplify removal of the panel toprovide an opening for display and removal of the rolls. Moreover, acontainer of the invention may be provided with an open top at a heightless than the length of the rolls so that the rolls stick out of the topof the box, such that the ends of the rolls can be viewed by a customer.

In another aspect, the invention comprises a method for providing ashipping carton for rolls of material. A container having an open topand an enclosed bottom is provided, the container is perforated todefine a removable panel circumscribed by an upper panel extendinghorizontally above the removable panel, a lower panel extendinghorizontally below the removable panel, and adjacent side wallsextending along the sides of the removable panel. The upper panel issectioned into an upper and a lower part, and the lower part is foldedto overlap the upper part, thereby forming a reinforced bridging panelextending horizontally above the removable panel.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention willappear in the detailed description which follows. In the description,reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate apreferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carton of the present invention shownready for display and to dispense rolls of gift wrap stored inside;

FIG. 2 is a view of the carton of FIG. 1 with the rolls of gift wrapremoved and prior to removal of a removable front panel of the carton;

FIG. 3 is a view of the bottom of the carton showing how the flaps ofthe bottom are folded in to form the bottom of the carton;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a blank for constructing the cartonFIG. 1 illustrating an inside flap prior to the gluing in of areinforcing wire or rod;

FIG. 5 is a view of the blank of FIG. 4 with the reinforcing wire or rodshown in place, prior to gluing of the wire and flap;

FIG. 6 is a view of the carton blank with the reinforcing wire installedand the bridging panel folded in place;

FIG. 7 is a plan view drawing of the carton of FIG. 1 prior to theinsertion of rolls and prior to constructing the bridging panel; and

FIG. 8 is a view of the carton shown covered with a shipping box.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the figures and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 8, ashipping carton 11 of the invention is illustrated. The carton 11comprises a container 10, and a shipping box or enclosure 22. Rolls ofgift wrap 12 are provided standing on end inside the container 10 andextending through and above an open top 13 of the container 10. Anopening 16 is selectively provided in the front of the container 10 toprovide access to the rolls 12 inside the container. The shipping box 22is provided over the rolls 12 in the container 10 to protect the rolls12 during shipment and storage, as described below.

Referring still to FIG. 1, the container 10 has a front wall 14 in whichthe opening 16 is formed that extends for the full width of the frontwall 14. At the lower edge of the opening 16 is a lower panel 18 whichextends for the full width of the front wall 14 and prevents the lowerends of the rolls 12 from slipping out of the container 10. The openingis sized and dimensioned to allow the removal of a roll 12 through theopening 16 when the container 10 is full of rolls by pulling the rollthrough the opening 16 as described below.

Adjacent the upper edge of the opening 16 is an upper reinforced orbridging panel 19, also extending the full width of the front wall 14,and including a front panel 20 that retains the rolls 12 and helpsprevent the rolls 12 from tipping out of the container 10. The bridgingpanel 19 further comprises reinforcements for stiffening the bridgingpanel 19, as described below. To decrease time and labor at the retailestablishments, the container 10 is preferably printed with the price orother information regarding the rolls 12.

A roll 12 is dispensed from the container 10 by grabbing the lower endof the roll through the opening 16, pushing the roll 12 upward, liftingthe roll 12 until its lower end clears the lower panel 18, and thenpulling the roll 12 out of the container 10 through the opening 16,between the panels 18 and 19. Because of the access available throughthe opening 16, the container 10 can be placed on an elevated shelf of aretail store to conserve floor space. Alternatively, if the container 10is stored, for example, on a floor or lower shelf, rolls 12 can bepulled through the open top 13 of the container 10. As noted above, theopening 16 is sized and dimensioned to allow removal of the roll throughthe opening, even when the container 10 is full of rolls 12. As aresult, the length of the opening 16 between the edge adjacent thereinforcement panel 28 and the lower panel 18 is preferably greater thanone-half of the length of a roll 12.

The container 10 can be loaded with gift wrap rolls 12 prior to shipmentof the container 10 to the retail store. As described above, forshipment, the five-sided shipping box 22 (FIG. 8) is provided on thecontainer 10. The shipping box 22 comprises four sides sized anddimensioned to mate with the open end 13 of the container 10 and anenclosed top, as shown in FIG. 8. The shipping box 22 is placed over theloaded container 10 and taped or otherwise affixed around its bottomedges to the bottom of the container 10. In addition to protecting therolls 12 within the container 10, the shipping box 22 strengthens theloaded container 10, and further protects the graphics printed on thecontainer 10.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the container 10 can be provided with aremovable panel 24. The panel 24 strengthens the container 10 forshipping, and, like the shipping box 22 helps contain the rolls 12within the container 10. At a retail or other display location, however,the panel 24 is easily removed along the perforation lines 32 providedaround the adjacent sides 36 and 38 of the container 10 and the lowerpanel 18. An indentation or finger hole 34, which can be, as shown, asemi-circular cut provided in the top edge of the removable panel 24provides access to the removable panel 24 allowing a user to tear theremovable panel 24 along the perforations 32 to provide the opening 16,which serves as a display window or aperture for retrieving rolls fromthe container 10 at the retail establishment, as described above.Although a perforation line 32 is shown, it will be apparent that theremovable panel can comprise other elements which simplify removal of aportion of the front wall 14 including, for example, score lines.Alternatively, the removable panel 24 could be a separate componentadhered to the front wall 14 using an adhesive strip or other removableadherent.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the bottom 15 of the container 10 is shown. Thebottom 15 is made up, in conventional fashion, of four flaps 40, 42, 44,and 46 which are folded inwardly. One of the flaps 40, 42, 44, and 46extends from each of the front 14, rear 48, and two side walls 36 and 38of the container 10. A piece of corrugated cardboard (not shown)approximately the size of the folded bottom wall 15 of the container 10may be placed flat inside and against the bottom wall 15 of thecontainer 10. The additional piece of corrugated cardboard strengthensthe bottom wall 15, and further provides padding and a flat surface forthe lower ends of the gift wrap rolls 12 to rest on. The bottom 15 ofthe container 10 is secured by taping or gluing the flaps 40, 42, 44,and 46 to form a flat bottom wall 15, also in a conventional manner.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a blank 58 for constructing the container 10 ofFIG. 1 is shown. The blank 58 preferably comprises a sheet of corrugatedcardboard material and includes vertical fold lines separating thecardboard blank 58 into a front wall 14, side walls 36 and 38, and rearwall 48. Horizontal fold lines are provided to separate each of thewalls 14, 36, 38, and 48 from the bottom panels 40, 42, 44, and 46, anda separation is cut or otherwise provided vertically between each of thebottom panels 40, 42, 44, and 46 allowing these panels to be movedindependently from the adjacent walls 14, 36, 38, and 40, and therespective adjacent panels. A flap 49 is hingedly attached to the sidewall 36 and, in use, is folded over and adhered to the rear wall 48using a glue or other adhesive to form the container 10 into arectangular configuration as shown in FIG. 1 prior to the loading ofrolls 12.

As noted above, the front wall 14 includes a perforation line 32extending vertically between the front panel 14 and each of the sidewalls 36 and 38 and horizontally along a bottom portion of the frontwall 14, separating the removable panel 24 from the lower panel 18. Foldor hinge lines 48 and 50 for forming the bridging panel 19 are providedin an upper portion of the front wall 14. The hinge lines 48 and 50extend horizontally across the front panel 14 between the front panel 20and a reinforcement panel 28. A cut line 60 is also providedhorizontally across the width of the front panel 14 separatingreinforcement panel 28 from the removable panel 24. An open area 54 and56 is cut or otherwise provided vertically on each of the opposing sidesof the reinforcement panel 28 such that the reinforcement panel 28 canbe folded up to form the bridging panel 19 along the hinge lines 48 and50, as described below. The semi-circular finger hole 34 extendsdownward from the cut line 60 into the removable panel 24 at theapproximate vertical center of the front wall 14, and aids in thefolding up of panel 28 and the removal of the removable panel 24 by auser as described above.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a stiff elongated member 30 can be provided onthe front panel 20 to reinforce the bridging panel 19. The stiffelongated member 30 is preferably constructed of a metal rod but canalso be constructed from a metal or synthetic wire, plastic, cardboardor other materials. The stiff elongated member 30 runs substantially thelength of the bridging panel 19 adjacent to the fold between panels 20and 28 and provides significant resistance against bending of thebridging panel 19. The stiff elongated member 30 is preferably glued oradhered to the panel 20 prior to construction of the box 10 from theblank 58. Alternatively, the stiff elongated member 30 can be added tothe container 10 at a later stage of construction, as, for example, whenthe bridging panel 19 is constructed on site, as described below withreference to FIG. 7.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the bridging panel 19 is formed by folding thereinforcement panel 28, which is cut out from the front wall 14 asdescribed above, along hinge lines 48 and 50, over the back side of thefront panel 20. Once positioned, the reinforcement panel 28 is glued orotherwise adhered to the back of the front panel 20. The front panel 20and reinforcement panel 28 thereby form a double layer of corrugatedmaterial, providing a relatively stiff bridging panel 19 that resistsbending when the weight of the rolls 12 is provided against the bridgingpanel 19. Furthermore, the corrugations in the corrugated cardboardwhich make up the container 10 are preferably configured to run in ahorizontal direction, providing additional resistance against bending asthe rolls 12 rest against the composite bridging panel 19 made up of thepanels 20 and 28. As noted above, the bridging panel 19 can also includethe stiff elongated member 30, provided between the front panel 20 andthe reinforcement panel 28 as described above. Preferably, the bridgingpanel 19 is formed prior to folding the blank 58 into the container 10as shown in FIG. 1. When constructed as shown, an opening 52 is formedabove the removable panel 24 prior to shipping and forms part of theopening 16 when the removable panel 24 is removed. The opening 52 isenclosed during shipping and storage by the shipping box 22.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the container 10 can be constructedfrom the blank 58 and the reinforcement panel 28 folded into thebridging panel 19 after the carton is constructed. In this application,an adhesive strip can be positioned on the back of the panel 20 to allowa user to adhere the reinforcement panel 28 to the back of the panel 20at, for example, a remote location such as a retail establishment.Although the present invention is particularly useful when the carton 11is loaded with rolls 12 prior to shipment, the carton 11 can also bepartially assembled, as shown in FIG. 7, prior to shipping or shipped asa blank 58 as shown in FIG. 4, and assembled by a distributor, at awarehouse, or elsewhere. Furthermore, although the bridging panel 19 hasbeen described with reference to the area extending horizontally abovethe removable panel, it will be apparent that, using similar steps tothose described above, the lower panel 18 could also be reinforced.Reinforcing the container 10 on both the upper and lower sides of theopening 16 would be particularly advantageous, for example, when therolls 12 to be provided in the container 10 are large “jumbo wrap” rollsor contain heavy materials such as heavy mailing paper or foils.

Referring now to FIG. 8, as described above, an open-ended five-sidedshipping box 22, which is sized to have height substantially equivalentthe height of the container 10 including the rolls 12 loaded into it,can be slipped over the container 10 prior to shipping of the carton 11or for storage of the carton 11. The open bottom end of the shipping box22 is adhered or taped to the bottom wall 15 of the container 10 tosecure it during shipping or storage. As an alternative to the shippingbox 22, the top of the container 10 can be extended up above the ends ofthe rolls 12 and closed, for example in the same manner that the bottomof the container 10 is closed. A nylon tear strip can then be provided,for example at the height of the container 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 (ora different height), which when pulled by a sales clerk tears thecorrugated cardboard of the carton to create a clean separation of thetop portion of the container 10 from the remaining bottom portion, whichwould leave the bottom portion looking much like the carton in FIGS. 1and 2. This would save corrugated cardboard material by avoiding theshipping box 22, but would not protect the graphics on the outside ofthe container 10. In alternative embodiments, the shipping box 22 can beprovided to extend from the top 13 of the container 10 to cover theexposed rolls 12, or from the opening 52 above the removable panel 24 toenclose the exposed rolls 12. In these cases, the rolls are adequatelycovered while minimizing materials.

The invention therefore provides a carton 11 specially adapted to ship,store, display, and dispense product rolls such as gift wrap rolls. Theopening 16 in the front wall 14 of the container 10 through which therolls 12 are dispensed extends for the entire width of the front wall 14to provide a large opening 16 for display and dispensing of the rolls. Astiff reinforcement 30 provided in the bridging panel 19 over theopening 16, preferably between a front panel 20 and a reinforced panel28 which is folded over the rear of the front panel 20 over the bottomedge of the front panel 20, helps reinforce the bridging panel 19 tocontain the rolls 12. In addition, reinforcement during shipping isprovided by a removable front panel 24 which at least partially coversthe opening 16 through which the rolls 12 are dispensed, before theremovable panel 24 is removed. Moreover, the container 10 of theinvention may be provided with an open top 13 so that the rolls 12 stickout of the top 13 of the box, where they can also be viewed by aconsumer.

When the container 10 is ready to be placed in the retail store on ashelf or on the floor for display and sale of the rolls 12, the shippingcarton 22 is removed by cutting or removing the tape which holds it tothe container 10 and discarding (or returning) the shipping carton 22.The removable panel 24 which covers the display and dispensing opening16 is then removed, and the container 10 loaded with rolls 12 of giftwrap is then ready to be placed on the floor or shelf of the retailstore, with the rolls ready for sale.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been described inconsiderable detail. Many modifications and variations to the preferredembodiment described will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill inthe art. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to theembodiment described.

1. A method for shipping and displaying rolls of material in a carton,the method comprising the following steps: constructing a containerhaving an enclosed bottom end and an open top end; providing a removablepanel in a side of the container; reinforcing a portion of the containerby extending a panel horizontally across the container between the openend of the container and the removable panel; providing graphics on thecontainer; and enclosing the container with a shipping container havingan enclosed top and an open bottom, the shipping container being sizedand dimensioned to extend over and enclose the open top end of thecontainer and to extend to the enclosed bottom end of the container tocover the graphics during shipping; and removing the shipping containerand removable panel to display the rolls of material and the graphics ata sales location.
 2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the stepof reinforcing the panel comprises coupling a horizontally-extendingstiff elongate member across at least a portion of the container betweenthe open end and the removable panel.
 3. The method as defined in claim1, further comprising the step of reinforcing the panel by folding aportion of the container over another portion of the container.
 4. Themethod as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a removablepanel comprises perforating a portion of the container to separate theportion from the container.
 5. The method as defined in claim 1, furthercomprising the step of providing a lower panel between the enclosedbottom of the container and the reinforced panel.
 6. A method forshipping a carton of rolls of material, the method comprising thefollowing steps: providing a container having an open top and anenclosed bottom; perforating the container to form a removable panel ina side of the container, the removable panel being circumscribed by anupper panel extending horizontally above the removable panel, a lowerpanel extending horizontally below the removable panel, and adjacentside walls extending along the sides of the removable panel; sectioningthe upper panel into an upper and a lower part; folding the lower partto overlap the upper part, forming a reinforced bridging panel extendinghorizontally above the removable panel; storing the rolls of material inthe container, the rolls extending vertically upward from the enclosedbottom of the container and through the open top of the container;providing a cover having an open bottom and an enclosed top, the coverbeing sized and dimensioned to extend from at least a top end of therolls of material to the enclosed bottom of the container, wherein thecontainer and the rolls of material are enclosed during shipment.
 7. Themethod as defined in claim 6, further comprising the step of adheringthe lower part of the upper panel to the upper part of the upper panel.8. The method as defined in claim 6, further comprising the step ofproviding a stiff elongate member between the upper part and the lowerpart of the bridging panel.
 9. The method as defined in claim 6, whereinthe stiff elongate member comprises at least one of a wire and a metalrod.
 10. The method as defined in claim 6, further comprising the stepof cutting the lower part of the upper panel from the removable paneland from the adjacent sides to facilitate folding of the lower part overthe upper part of the panel.
 11. The method as defined in claim 6,further comprising the step of providing graphics on the container,wherein the graphics are enclosed by the cover during shipping anduncovered for advertising when the container is uncovered for a display.12. A method for shipping rolls of gift wrap material, the methodcomprising the following steps: constructing a container having an opentop end, an enclosed bottom end, a perforated cut line defining aremovable side panel, a reinforcement member coupled above the removableside panel, and a hinged reinforcement panel between the reinforcementmember and the removable panel; folding the hinged reinforcement panelover the reinforcement member, and adhering the hinged reinforcementpanel in position; constructing a cover comprising an enclosed top endand an open bottom end, the cover being sized and dimensioned to enclosethe container and to extend to the bottom end of the container; stackinga plurality of rolls of material into the container, the rolls ofmaterial extending vertically upward from the bottom of the container;enclosing the container with the cover; shipping the container to asales location; and removing the cover and the removable side panel fordisplay of the product in the carton.
 13. The method as defined in claim12, further comprising the step of providing graphics on the container,the graphics being enclosed by the cover during shipping.
 14. The methodas recited in claim 12, wherein the step of constructing a containercomprises cutting a blank from a sheet of material, perforating aremovable panel into the blank, and folding the blank into thecontainer.
 15. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising thestep of printing a price for the rolls of material on the container. 16.The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising the step offolding the reinforced portion of the container above the removable sidepanel.
 17. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the reinforcementmember comprises at least one of a wire and a metal rod.
 18. The methodas recited in claim 12, wherein the step of stacking a plurality ofrolls of material comprises stacking rolls of gift wrap.
 19. The methodas recited in claim 12, further comprising the step of cutting a fingerhole in the removable panel.
 20. The method as recited in claim 12,wherein the reinforcement member is a stiff elongate member.